Kitesurfing & Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking another kitesurfing lesson and for the first time I actually flew the kite. Kitesurfing isn’t easy but I wouldn’t say it’s hard either; learning to control that kite I do believe will be the hardest part for anyone who has done a board sport before. Afterwards I made my way to to chill out and soak up the scene, what a scene it was…

I joined the team from for the kitesurfing lesson and my instructor named Jamie was top notch. I had tried before in the Caribbean but no wind; we went through all the safety procedures as well as gear preparation and it was time to fly the kite. First few times it was really foreign and almost overwhelming; you need to be insanely proactive as the smallest movements make the biggest changes to the direction of the kite.

I do believe the term is being preemptive and you need to know how the kite will react. Think of a ripple effect, the rings start small but get bigger and bigger the further they get; sorta like that. Like anything else though, I think it comes down to practice. There is also something insanely addicting and primal associated with the feeling of harnessing the wind for your own benefit.

There were numerous kitesurfers out and about on this day and we saw them in other places as well, it’s a fast growing sport and glad to be joining the growing ranks. Afterwards we made our way to Surfers Paradise which is a pretty popular spot on the coast and no more than a 10-15 minute walk from where I’m staying on at . The place had quite the scene and is one of the more popular spots in the area.

Myself and my instructor / new friend went in for an after lesson beer and watched the world go by. I can see the appeal to living here and how the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast from what I’ve seen are same same but different. Same beautiful coast but very different vibe; the Gold Coast is more vibrant and lively while the Sunshine Coast was more chilled out and sleepy; both good just different.

There was a market on this day and the beach was still quite busy despite being a Wednesday afternoon with decent weather and no holidays occurring. I can only imagine the insanity in the best way possible on a busy weekend with top shelf weather. Something else of interest was the meter maids wandering around or should I call them meter fairies?

There are these ladies dressed to impress wandering around filling meters with coins. If your meter runs out and you’re lucky enough to have one of these ladies pass, they’ll feed it more. If you’re getting near expired and they swing by, also might get lucky. To say they are attractive would be an understatement and if you’d like a photo it’s $5 which goes towards meters, how cool is that?

Obviously I’m just here a few days with lots to see and do so I’m only scratching the surface of this place. That said, I’m glad to be getting the slice I am and in the future I’d love to dive deep below the surface as this is without a doubt my kind of place. It’s got everything one could want and just this morning went for a long jog along the beach where I saw countless other interesting souls doing the same.

I’m loving my time here and I do believe this has got it all. In closing, I’d love to thank for their hospitality over the last two weeks; what a place!

Tips hat,

4 Comments

Jaime
on January 31, 2014 at 2:26 am

I’m glad you had fun dude, it’s always great to chill with friendly people like yourself. Next time you’re on this side of the world let me know and we’ll go for a kite.

All the best with your travels, keep living the dream and one day I’ll have to come visit your slice of paradise.